Life in Windows 7 after official Premium Assurance ESU EOL

Discussion in 'Windows 7' started by sp808, Feb 14, 2026.

  1. eMTeee

    eMTeee MDL Novice

    Feb 3, 2020
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    Sounds great, just make sure your work is public and link this communtity to it :p
     
  2. Apoly

    Apoly MDL Senior Member

    Aug 21, 2016
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    Yes, I haven't noticed any problems when using it in a Virtual Machine.
    But it would also require further testing on a real computer to be sure.
     
  3. Mivas

    Mivas MDL Novice

    Dec 14, 2019
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    This would be awesome for our beloved Windows 7!!

    Especially if it can be possible for security-only updates from 2012 R2 to w7 as well!
     
  4. pm67310

    pm67310 MDL Guru

    Sep 6, 2011
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    Only for internet explorer or net framework only
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  5. Apoly

    Apoly MDL Senior Member

    Aug 21, 2016
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  6. t1125

    t1125 MDL Novice

    Apr 13, 2026
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    How could you Integrate IE11 updates for Server 2012(R2) for Windows 7?
     
  7. ryegrass

    ryegrass MDL Member

    Oct 9, 2019
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    For anyone interested in installing software or updates in Windows 7 and getting Error 1719, The Windows Installer service cannot be accessed:
    If you've installed VxKex Next, uninstall it as it was the cause of this error and the installation process not working for me.
     
  8. alzcoew397

    alzcoew397 MDL Senior Member

    Oct 6, 2018
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    also sad that 7/ 2008r2 didnt saw the new rdp update...
     
  9. Elmbeard

    Elmbeard MDL Novice

    Dec 21, 2019
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    I have archived this list.

    I have been running W7 as a guest OS on my old mac, running Snow Leopard natively and XP and Linux Mint as other guest OSs.

    I made the decision yesterday to kill off W7, freeing up 60GB of disk space.

    I originally installed W7 to provide secure updated browing for sensitive use, such as banking. This is no longer possible, I have no intention of ever going laler than 7 in Windows, and 11 is a plague well avoided. I do not need Cloud or AI support, and certainly not auto-upgrades nor subscription-based malware.

    Is there any point now in sticking with 7, now that it is no longer updating in any form?

    XP seems to do everything 7 does, as regards legacy support, and faster. File Manager, printer support, image and sound editing and some games are superior to my Mac (ironic considering what Macs were originally set up for).

    For browsing, I have had to acquire a new laptop with Linux distro Ubuntu 24 pre-installed, which is as secure as I can get it. There are better, less corporate, less bloated distros about, but as someone fairly new to Linux, best to stay with what an expert set up until I am more confident.

    Wine does get me a few of my legacy Windows software going, but not others. Printer support is particularly poor on Linux. Strangely, nothing has yet improved on Windows 98 for that.

    Snow Leopard creaks on as a daily workhorse on my old Mac. There is no point updating to an interim, and still unsupported version of OSX, and my hardware does not support MacOS even if I wanted it.
     
  10. John_3_16

    John_3_16 MDL Senior Member

    Feb 8, 2020
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    We all have our limits & our unique peculiar situations. Virtually no 2 identical but most are similar. MSE still updates almost daily for me as does another security program I use regularly. R3dfox & Firefox ESR 115.35.0 (EOS Aug2026) still function as browsers; both updated & secure. My bank, investment platforms & a couple of .gov sites have started to complain about Win7 &/or FF115. NOT refusing service, YET, but telling me to update. I like Win7 & FF. It is comfortable & familiar. I have used Zorin OS as my secondary OS for 3 years & will make it my primary when circumstances (banks, etc., etc.) force me to. Just not today & probably not tomorrow. For me, the glass is still half full but evaporating quickly. My laptop is 12 years old. It will become a backup. I am thinking of upgrading that, too, when I say my final goodbye to Win7 & M$. It has been a great ride here.

    Good luck to you.

    And so much thanks to abbodi1406 & many others here & in other forums who lengthened the ride & increased its ease & safety.
    Much appreciated all.
     
  11. SEBA33

    SEBA33 MDL Member

    Oct 28, 2024
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    Wait Windows Server 2012 R2 end all life in October 2026. So to fast Firefox kill ESR 115.x. Should be to end lifes 6.0/6.1/6.3 systems. In my opinion
     
  12. olo320i

    olo320i MDL Junior Member

    Aug 17, 2016
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    Windows Server 2012 R2 under premium assurance end of life is in January 2029
     
  13. John_3_16

    John_3_16 MDL Senior Member

    Feb 8, 2020
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    FF 115.x updated now through Aug 2026 & then reconsidered by Mozilla.
    6.0, 6.1 has ended active M$ support but many programs using Win7 OS continue to be updated. MSE is updated almost daily.
    A lot of places (manufacturers, hospitals, retail systems, etc.) have Win7 machines still running in one capacity or another.
    Not going to spend money or buy new hardware if current systems still safely do the job.
    M$ nightmare 11.0 does not help their upgrade agenda. Forced them to extend 10 security updates because many corps & gov refusing to upgrade.
    Many governments & overseas corps refusing to upgrade M$ systems, changing over to Linux OSes..
     
  14. Muffin Top

    Muffin Top MDL Member

    Jun 12, 2025
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    There is a YUGE security advantage to windows 7 over XP. The Win 7 version of system restore is reliable. If you're willing to adhere to a protocol of running Win 7 system restore after literally every internet session, no exceptions, then Win 7 on bare metal is still the most secure operating system.

    The hackers figured out how to defeat XP's system restore, so it lacks 7's security advantage.

    You can almost get 10, it seems, to work as well as 7. 10 partially takes away optionality about updates, so it's better if you ensure your system is updated and then reboot before creating a system restore point and going on the internet. Also, with 10 you have to be sure the GameBar is off, because that breaks system restore. And regular use of 10's system restore takes up more drive space than 7's (this last point less of an issue now that massive SSDs are cheap). So 10 is a bit more cumbersome than 7, but otherwise 10 seems to work almost as well 7 (caveat, I've mostly been using 7, so I'm not providing assurances about 10).